by T S Paul
"The Lord works in mysterious ways, my son. This upcoming event will put us in an advantageous position to run this town."
"We already control what matters. Power and water are life around here. The others don't know of our real relationship. Do we really want to show our hand now?" Joshua Pepin stared at his biological father.
"The sons of Darius are weak, and their Packs are ripe for takeover. They spend all of their efforts toward eliminating each other, ignoring the prize. My foot soldiers are ready to take what they have built and make it our own."
"Didn't you sell Daniel a half dozen of your specials? They will be hard to overcome."
The much older man laughed. "That is your problem, Joshua. You never plan for the future. I sell nothing without a potential backdoor installed. Each special has a termination code known only to me. Getting rid of Daniel and Stephan has never been the problem. Controlling or subverting their Packs is the real objective. The ingrained hatred of each for the other is too immense. Integration isn't possible. Only fire and brimstone is the answer."
Joshua looked at his father and smiled. They could control it all. The water, the power, and the mine.
~~~~~~
"Who bugged us and when?"
All five of us sat around the table in Ana's RV, staring at the evidence bag.
"Actually the question you should ask Catherine is why. The FBI isn't that devious. If they want to know something they will question or interrogate you. Most of the newer surveillance equipment isn't this big. I would say it's been here for at least ten years. Maybe longer." Anastasia picked up the bag and examined it.
"So, someone was watching Jack. I wonder why?" Pursing my lips, I thought about things he may have told me.
"I read those files I could access before joining you. Was Jack trustworthy?" Bill was also examining the device.
"Jack? Jack ran this division alone for years. If they didn't trust him, why let him continue. No, this is something else." I grabbed my phone off the table and started dialing.
"Who are you calling?"
"Jack of course."
"Agatha is that a good idea? I thought you told me he was on leave." Cat looked concerned.
"This is something he would be concerned about. Don't worry, it's fine." I put the phone up to my ear and listened.
"Agatha? Why are you calling?" The voice on the other end was that of a woman. Cat and Chuck looked at me with wide eyes. I just rolled mine at them.
"Hi, Elizabeth. Is he available, I have something to share with him. Nothing dangerous. I promise."
"He needs to rest. Especially after they took his job away from him. I don't want him riding off into the sunset this time, Agatha. I mean it."
"Elizabeth, trust me. It's only a question. You know how we work. I can't discuss the case with him anyway. May I speak to him?" There was silence on the other end for a moment. I could hear footsteps and a door slamming open. There were more steps and then yelling. "How do you expect to get that thing out of here? The closest body of water is two hundred miles away! Don't give me Magick because your minion isn't here to help you with it. Here. It's for you."
Those that could hear everything, all sat and stared at me with shocked looks. Only Bill was left in the dark.
"Jack? Can you hear me?" There was complete silence on the other end.
"Jack?"
"Hello, Agatha. What's wrong?" He sounded tired.
"Why does something have to be wrong? I can't just call?"
"No, you can't. I know you are solo this time. Madeleine slipped a message past the dragon lady to me about your team."
"Your loving wife is not a dragon lady. She doesn't have half as many scales like the one we met." I remembered the Dragon.
"What's up?"
"Nothing dreadful. The RV was damaged recently, and during the repair, the mechanics found the remains of a surveillance device."
"Was it just a bug or a tracker too?" Jack sounded a bit hoarse.
I glanced at Ana, she seemed to be the expert. "Both. At least ten years old maybe more."
"Was that Anastasia?"
"It was. She says hello. Did you hear what she said?" I smiled and mouthed thank you to the Vampire.
"I did. It's not FBI issue. They stopped using the combo bugs a few years ago. Everyone has GPS on their phones now. It might be either the Witches Council or the other one. They were always interested in what I was up to. Could you tell if it was active recently?"
"Chuck says no. It's not that advanced. What other one are you talking about, Jack?" I concentrated on his words.
"Other what? No idea what you are saying, Agatha. How do you like being in charge?"
I could tell he was trying to change the subject and I let him. Secrets. There was always more to learn about. "So far it's been fun. The bug sort of worried us."
"Well, there is a new thing for your checklist. Bug hunt. You can't watch the RV all the time."
"What was Elizabeth talking about? She said you were forced out of your position?"
"She did? That's just what she thinks. Don't fret about it. I do have a question for you, though."
"Anything. You know that, Jack."
"Now you're making me blush. Blushing Marines are not happy Marines. Remember that. My question is this. Can you shrink an object, pick it up and move it, then make it big again?"
"I shrank Fergus, remember?"
"Yeah, but did you make him bigger yet?"
"No. But there is a spell like that. Why? Drop your keys in the drain or something?"
"Not really no. I took a page from my favorite TV show and built that boat I talked about."
"That's cool, Jack! What's the problem?"
"It's in the basement. How do I get it out?" I started laughing. Only Jack.
"You don't? Sorry, Jack. Can't help you. Thanks for the information. I'll be bugging you about that other info too. Just wait." I hung up the phone.
"Is he seriously building a boat in his basement?" Chuck stared at me.
"Chuck, you know exactly as much as I do. Sorry, Bill. It's their freaky Were and Vampire hearing. Nothing is secret around them."
Bill nodded. "That must make secret or confidential conversations interesting."
"I can spell the room if need be. We are safe in here. So, the Witches Council is our culprit. Or that other one that he mentioned. Ana, do you know what he was about to say?"
Everyone looked at her.
"The answer to that is complicated. I am unable to answer because of certain binding oaths. Your Grandmother is the one to seek answers from. Sorry I am unable to help." Anastasia gave me that little inscrutable smile that irritates the piss out of me. I hate secrets.
"Well, hell. We will assume it came from the Witches Council then. Ana, did you dig into Darius Jaeger's background like I asked?"
"I did. The secret you are searching for is diamonds. Arkansas is known for crystals and other rare Earths. Shortly after the end of the Reservation system, Darius discovered a source of diamonds similar to that of the Crater of Diamond."
"Crater of Diamonds? What's that?" Chuck leaned forward in his chair.
"It's a volcanic formation discovered in the early 1900s. They made it a State Park in the 1970s. Any diamonds you find there you get to keep. I took the wife there a few years ago. Found a few agates but no diamonds. It was too much like work to do it again."
"Thank you, Bill. As I was saying. He found a diamond mine. Despite the failing town, he and his family prospered."
"So why are they fighting? I still don't get it." I looked to Ana to explain more.
"According to my research, Darius was a cagey old man. He never told anyone where the mine was located. Only those he trusted completely were allowed to accompany him. After his death, the flood of gems dried up. Tax records show Daniel has four mortgages on the house."
"So Daniel kills the old man hoping to cash in. But the location of the mine is a secret. Darius didn't trust his son enough to tel
l him. So why attack Stephan?"
"What if he did tell his son, Cat? What if he told only Stephan? That would ensure the war we see coming. Two brothers fighting over the same thing. But which one runs the slave operation? It can't be Daniel. He's broke. Could Stephan be doing it after all?"
Cat sat up straighter. "No way. I would have smelled a lie on him. He didn't lie about what we asked. He was keeping secrets but not about the slavers."
"So we have a third player. Right?" Bill looked at all of us.
"We do. Someone canny enough to blend in for years and powerful enough to not get caught. They would need resources for things like storage and processing. Bob and Tod learned their training somewhere if it wasn't in the military. Start another search, please. Chuck can help you."
Chapter 15
"There are four possible suspects according to tax records." Chuck looked up from his computer.
"Five, Chuck. There are five." Anastasia shook her head.
"No. According to the county tax collector, only four individuals have enough land and other resources to pull off something like this. Who is your fifth?"
"The Church of Eternal Damnation and Salvation. They have enough property and have been in the area long enough." Ana tossed the records to Chuck.
"A church? How come they aren't listed here?"
"Religious organization. No taxes. So five groups or individuals with the right elements. Give Agatha a call."
I thanked Anastasia and Chuck for their hard work. Only five groups or people in the area had something to gain from the Packs going down and had the resources to hide a slavery operation.
"So we have a new day and a news investigation. Five possible targets. Here's what we are going to do. Chuck and Anastasia will stay here to keep an eye on things. I want you to dig deep into the backgrounds of the five on the list and keep us informed. Bill, Cat, and I will visit each group and try to gain what information we can. State Police are backup if needed."
"Who's first?" Bill started loading his pockets with gear.
I picked up my spell bag and strapped on my gun. As a rule, we were supposed to be armed at all times. "We'll take them in order. Billie Jean's Fish Camp and Sushi bar, the rancher, Tents-for-Tots, The Mayor, and then the Church. Closest first to make things easy."
"Do you really think Billie Jean or Bill are involved? They are a bit strange, but we would have smelled them if there were Weres here. Other than us of course." Cat strapped on her weapon and threw her ubiquitous leather jacket over her shoulder.
"No, I don't, but we cannot play favorites. Other than the barn, we've been in all the buildings. Billie Jean's an understanding woman. I think we can get her to agree." I motioned to the others to follow me.
"No. Not only no, but Hell no! What we do in the barn is private. Sorry, Agent Blackmore."
"Mrs. Jean, Billie. You don't have a choice here. If I have to get a warrant, it will be the State Police searching, not us. If there is nothing there, we won't file a report. What you do on your own property is your business unless you are hiding a slavery ring in there." I pointed at the barn.
"Slavery? Is that what you're looking for? For real?" Billie pulled her head back and gawked at the three of us. "Why the hell didn't you say so in the first place? Come on."
Billie led us to the big red barn that sat behind the main house and bar.
"The sushi business is an expensive one. It stopped being beneficial for my suppliers a few years ago. They couldn't keep the type of fish I needed as well as the exotics. So Bill and I, we improvised."
I could smell the moisture as soon as she opened the door. Billie Jean hit the lights illuminating something I didn't expect to see outside of Florida. Especially not in the wilds of Arkansas. The entire barn was filled floor to ceiling with fish tanks!
"My cousin works for a glass company over in Glenwood. He hooked us up using his discount." Billie walked down the aisles of fish pointing out what she said were the most delicious.
I glanced at Cat, and she smiled. Here was the first power-suck spot. Power usage was the only reason she was on the list.
"Billie we apologize for accusing you of anything. We just have to be thorough."
"I understand that Agent Blackwood. While I have you here, want to see Bertha?"
"What or who is Bertha? Is she someone we should talk to?" I made a what-the-hell motion.
"She used to be famous around these parts. At least among the fishermen. Catching her made local headlines, but most think we stuffed her." Billie pointed at the huge tank in the center of the barn."
"What is in there?" I could see a small island in the middle of the tank as well as logs and rocks. It was bigger than the inside of Anastasia's RV.
"Bertha. She's the biggest ever caught in the state and anywhere else."
All three of us peered into the tank and almost fell backward when a head the size of a fire hydrant looked back at us. Bertha was a gigantic Alligator snapping turtle!
"Holy crap! How big is that thing?" Bill almost pulled his weapon. I made a mental note not to take him dragon hunting. He might get us all killed.
"Bertha tops out at a little over four-hundred pounds. She supplies us with eggs that grow into little 'snappers.' We use them for the sushi my son makes."
The turtle in question was at least four to five feet across. Its legs were thicker than a man's leg. It was a real monster! My stomach made a rippling sound that reminded me we all ate one of Bertha's children just the other night. With luck, she wouldn't smell it on us.
We thanked Billie and headed out toward what Chuck called the Rancher.
"Satellite images show that this guy has about five hundred acres of land. He has barns and outbuilding scattered around the entire thing. He might be our man." Bill checked his notes as he drove. I winced and tried not to watch. Bill was good at the whole law-enforcement-driving thing. He could maneuver at high speed and still get there in time to arrest the guy.
"Do we have a name for him yet?" Cat also tried not to watch the road. Her senses were still being overloaded by the scents in the car.
"Not yet. Chuck said the tax records were a bit funky."
"Funky? Chuck actually said that?" Bill nodded as he swerved around a slow moving tractor.
I pulled out my phone and frowned at it. 'Funky?'
"Hello, Agatha! How's it going?"
"'Funky?' Come on Chuck be professional. We need more information than that. What is this guy's name?"
"Sorry, Agatha. We couldn't figure the discrepancy in the name. So we solved the funky part. It's the Mayor. He bought the land and farm using his old name. Lawrence Freki and Lawrence Duckworth are the same person."
"Hmmm, like that's not suspicious at all. Do me a favor and call Sheriff Geri. He should be there to see this. That cuts our list down a bit."
I hung up the phone and checked the map Anastasia had given us. The Mayor's property stood between the claimed areas of both Packs. In a few places, it crossed the unwritten territory lines. Was he playing both sides off against each other?
"We should be there in fifteen minutes."
"Thanks, Bill." Grabbing my bag, I checked to make sure I had anti-Were supplies.
~~~~~~~
"Hey, Dad! I just got a call from our guy in the County Courthouse. Bob and Tod are in lockup. They have some major charges against them!" Freddie Jaeger was happy to be back in his father's good graces and wanted to stay there.
"What! Call Tuck and ... Dang it to hell! Do we have another lawyer we can use?" Daniel cursed the sky and his other form. One of the servants had found Tuck's broken and half-eaten body in the pantry of all places. His other form had made a snack of the little man. Easier than firing him.
"Just those guys we used last year in Fort Smith. Want me to call them?"
"No. The brothers won't say anything to hurt us. It would be against their training to do so. Do you know if they completed their mission?"
Freddie looked at his Father. "Th
ey had a mission? Doing what?"
"They were to get rid of something for me, but I guess I will have to do it myself now. One battle at a time or at least that's what Darius used to say. Are your troops ready?"
"Yes. All of the special ones are here too. How are you going to use them?" Tactics were something Freddie was still learning. Very few members of the Pack had served in the military.
"In the beginning, they will guard the rear. Once we gain the advantage, I will send them in. Make sure our people are wearing the Pack symbol on both the front and the back of their uniforms. Those boys are indiscriminate when they get started. This is for all the marbles, boy. Only Stephan knows the location of the mine, and he's not digging. It has to be somewhere in the middle. When the mongrels are gone, we can search all we want to."